Shades of the Past
by Tirzah
Summary: Typical fifth year story before the book comes out. Snape gets more rounded out character. and a new DADA teacher who's a what?CONTEST. Details in chapter four.
1. Chapter One

A.N. I am not giving up any stories. But I have to do a fifth year story before the book comes out and makes it all inaccurate. Which means I will likely have to update all the time. I plan to cover more than the fifth year, but it starts in Harry's fifth year.  
  
Chapter One.  
  
Finally he was back at Hogwarts. He had never missed it as much as he had this summer. Harry had to put up with his annoying relatives who hated him, guilt from the tri-wizard tournament, and more visions of what Voldemort was planning. In short, this had to be the worst summer ever! He hated summer! But now he was away from all that, on the Hogwarts' express, with his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. They were discussing the upcoming school year.  
  
"Who do you think Headmaster Dumbledore got to fill the DADA position this year?" Ron asked.  
  
"Who knows, but they certainly assigned some strange books." That was Hermione. She would be the one to care what kinds of books were assigned.  
  
"Hey, did you hear of a new elective starting up?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yes, a class in healing. That should be fascinating." Hermione answered.  
  
"Don't you have enough classes yet?" Ron asked exasperated.  
  
"But this could come in so useful! Besides, doesn't it sound interesting? I mean think about it."  
  
Before Hermione could ramble on the snack cart came. Harry was glad of the distraction before his two best friends could get into an argument and quickly ordered a lot of food. It was like having a small party in their compartment.  
  
There were only two interruptions. Once was when Neville came in looking for his toad (again!). They told Neville that Trevor wasn't there and offered him some Chocolate frogs. The other time was when Malfoy and Company acted like the pests they were. It only took a brief reminder of what happened the last time Malfoy and Company met the Terrific Trio to send the former away.  
  
They finished their snacks and Harry and Ron were carrying on an animated conversation on Quidditch while Hermione was trying to read when they finally reached the school.  
  
******** Because I Don't feel like covering the Sorting.  
  
After the sorting, Professor Dumbledore got up to say a few words. "Hello, and I would like to welcome you all to a new school year. These are dangerous times and we must take precautions so a few new safety measures have been added. Curfew will be strictly enforced this year and all students are to leave note of where they are going before leaving the common room. On a more pleasant note, I would like to introduce out new teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and the new elective on Healing, Professor Clyna Syran." At this introduction a woman stood up. Harry hadn't noticed her before. She was extremely pale, and smallish looking. She looked almost ethereal, but he couldn't tell why. She wasn't a veela, because she wasn't all that attractive, but she had a similar air. She also had fairly dark hair. She smiled to everyone and sat down. Harry looked at the rest of the teachers at the teachers table. No other surprises.. except one. Snape was glaring at anyone. He didn't seem happy but he wasn't glaring. He was looking at Professor Syran. His look was strange. Just then the feast came and drove all thoughts of weird teachers out of his head.  
AN. Okay, that was short but I couldn't think. I'll try to do the next chapter later today. What do you think everyone? No the DADA teacher is not a Mary Sue. I hope. There is an explanation for everything. 


	2. Chapeter Two

A. N. I told you I would try to do the next chapter sometime today. Okay, I think the first chapter wasn't that good. I'm very sorry about that. Hopefully this channel will be a bit better.  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Since September 1st had landed on a Friday that year there weren't any classes until Monday. Having gotten bored of the common room by Saturday afternoon, the Terrific Trio decided to go exploring. There had been a rumor, started by the Weasley twins, prankster kings (as they has started calling themselves) that the new teacher had moved into a tower and didn't live near where most of the teachers lived. They had even speculated where. So Harry and the gang decided to look around.  
  
Hermione and Ron were bickering like usual when Harry shushed them. Just then McGonagall's voice was heard in the next corridor over. "So Clyna, you moved to the east tower?"  
  
"That's right. Near the statue of Merlin on the third floor. Come by anytime. Just touch the staff."  
  
"I'll remember that. Good luck, these students will run you ragged."  
  
"I'm a healer; I can at least keep them from killing each other."  
  
The two teachers laughed and moved on. The three smiled to each other. Not even Fred and George knew how to get into a teacher's quarters. Their smiles soon disappeared.  
  
"So, Perfect Potter going to try to get into a Teacher's quarters?"  
  
"Hello, Malfoy." Harry said dryly. "It's really none of your business."  
  
"Bet you're scared."  
  
"You're off your rocker! Harry isn't scared of her!" Ron cut in.  
  
"I've heard rumors she's a wraith!"  
  
"A what?" Harry asked.  
  
"A wraith. You don't want to mess with them. They can drain you of all your energy. So is Perfect Potter scared of a widdle wraith?"  
  
"No I'm not scared!"  
  
"Prove it!"  
  
"I don't have to prove anything to you! Now go away."  
  
"You're just a chicken!"  
  
"I don't see you doing anything."  
  
"I dare you to go into her quarters. Leave a prank or something."  
  
"Why should I?"  
  
"I knew it. He's chicken. Come on. Let's leave the scardy-cat alone."  
  
"Fine I'll do it." Harry knew this wasn't the wisest thing in the world but something about Malfoy pushed all his buttons. If going into a teachers room was going to get Malfoy off his back, then he would do it. He started to reconsider when he saw the smirk on Malfoy's face but decided to ignore it. Hermione obviously thought this was a bad idea, but she wasn't going to say anything in front of Malfoy. And Ron couldn't keep his temper around him any better than Harry.  
  
They reached the statue in a surprisingly short time. Harry took a deep breath and touched the end of the staff. The statue moved to one side and stairs appeared. Taking another deep breath he started to climb them. He nearly had a heart attack when the statue closed behind him. 'Just breathe. You can figure it out when you come down. He finally made it up to the tower.  
  
He blinked several times once he got up there. It was very different then he expected it to be. First of all it was warm and cozy. From what he had seen before of the east tower, He expected it to be cold and drafty. There was even a smokeless fire place. In front of the fireplace was a comfortable looking armchair, with a cat asleep on it. Next to that was a book on a small table. There were two bookshelves that were still empty, and various objects likely used as a teacher or healer. There was a magic clock; it looked like a grandfather clock. There was a magic hovering globe. There were also a lot of knick-knacks. Harry looked them all over. Okay she liked dragons and tigers. Was this a warning sign? He smiled at that thought. She obviously hadn't finished unpacking yet, there was still a multi-locked trunk and a small suitcase. He was about to look inside the suitcase when he heard a voice. "Hello, Harry." 


	3. Chapter Three

A.N. Okay I haven't updated in about two days so I better do so now. Okay, to everyone (if there is anyone) who reads this without reviewing, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW. It just brightens my day up so much. Huge thanks to lady_daydreamer who is so far my only reviewer. One review for three chapters is kinda sad. Okay time to begin.  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Harry jumped at the sound of his name and turned around quickly. The new teacher was right behind him. 'I'm in such big trouble. I'm going to get expelled. Sneaking into a teacher's room? What was I thinking? I'm going to get expelled....' he thought. His thoughts were going a million miles an hour and he felt sick to his stomach. "I can explain..!" he started and then realized that no, he couldn't explain. He started to hang his head in humiliation.  
  
"So explain."  
  
"Okay, maybe I can't explain." He took a deep breath. "I'll gather my things..." He started to say.  
  
"What things? I don't see any of your belongings up here." She didn't look mad, but Harry didn't know anything about her yet. "Now what shall I do about you? Sneaking into a professor's quarters is not a good first impression." He hung his head a little lower. "Nor can this be ignored." Harry snuck a look at her. She had her chin in her hand and was staring off into space as if thinking, but he had a feeling she already knew what she was going to do. "Well, I see only one thing possible..." She trailed off for a second while Harry winced. "I'll just have to put you to work helping me unpack."  
  
He looked at her startled. That was it?! He would have to help her unpack?! He had had detentions worse than this. Going into the forbidden forest in his first year, and having to answer fan mail with Lockhart in his second immediately jumped to his mind as examples. Just unpack? He could handle that. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw her smile. It wasn't a mean smile, like Snape taking a hundred points from Gryffindors or something like that. It seemed kind. "Alright Professor, what shall I do?"  
  
She seemed startled slightly but quickly responded. "In that suitcase, you will find books. Just put them on the shelves."  
  
"Any order?"  
  
"They know the order."  
  
Harry thought that a strange answer until he saw what she meant. He opened the suitcase and only saw one book. He thought that a bit strange until he removed it and there was another book in its place. Obviously this was a magic suitcase. Not knowing which bookshelf to start with he put the book on the top row of the bookshelf nearest him. He was therefore quite startled when the book flew off the shelf into the other bookshelf. "Um, Professor? The book.."  
  
"Yes, I know. Like I said, they know the order." He shrugged and continued. He quickly realized that wherever he put the book on the two bookshelves, the book would fly to its proper spot. So far all the books were in order. Then for some reason the next book didn't go right next to the previous book but it skipped a space. Harry tried to move it over but it jumped right back.  
  
"Professor? This book is acting strange?"  
  
She turned to take a look. "Oh, it's just saving a space for this one." She said while indicating the book by the chair. Harry nodded, trying to act as if this was usual behavior for books.  
  
They continued in silence for some time.  
  
*****Change in POV.  
  
After waiting for Harry to return for at least forty-five minutes, his friends were more then a little concerned. Even Draco didn't seem as confident. In fact, it had gotten so bad that they weren't sure whether to be relieved or apprehensive when Professor McGonagall showed up and demanded to know what they were doing there. There were a few reluctant and unconvincing mutters that nothing was up. She looked at them sharply and told them to go back to their common rooms knowing full well that something was up and they weren't likely to leave until something had been resolved. She then startled them by going to the statue and touching the staff like Harry had, but instead of opening immediately, the statues eyes opened, and out of it mouth came the other teacher's voice.  
  
"Who's there?"  
  
"Minerva McGonagall"  
  
"Come in."  
  
Then the statue opened. The students stared dumbfounded as the professor disappeared into the shadows and the statue closed. Why had the statue worked differently?  
  
*******Change to original POV.  
  
It is difficult to say who was more startled to find the other in the east tower. The professor recovered first though. "So this is why there is a group of students clustered around your entrance. They are waiting for Mister Potter. (A.N. does McGonagall refer to him as Harry, or Mister Potter?)"  
  
"Yes, I imagine they are. And will continue to wait. I've put him to work up here." Professor Syran answered.  
  
"I see. An unauthorized visit?" She looked a bit disappointed in him.  
  
"Yes, but I could use all the help I can get, so I let him in anyway."  
  
The animagus smiled at that. "Yes, but his friends undoubtably are worried. What should I tell them when I leave?"  
  
The younger woman thought for a minute. "How about we tell them nothing and let them draw their own conclusions?"  
  
Both teachers smiled at that idea. Harry was trying to keep quiet. He was seeing his teachers in a new light and was realizing they were at least slightly sadistic. Or at least enjoyed playing with students' minds. Unfortunately he happened to drop a book on his foot and totally blew his resolve to silence. This naturally caught the teachers' attention. He smiled a little and immediately went back to work. The Professors talked a little on teaching and then McGonagall left. And he was once again left alone with a strange teacher he didn't know.  
A.N. Next chapter comes up probably sometime today. The more reviews I get the more encouraged I get, the faster I want to write. 


	4. Chapter Four

A.N. Okay I know I didn't put this chapter in yesterday like I planned but it doesn't matter because apparently no one is reading this. Goody. Where is everyone? Did everyone sign an "ignore Tirzah" petition and forget to tell me? I'm tempted to start reviewing my own story so I'll at least have some reviews. I repeat, where is everyone? Sniffle. Well if anyone is out there at all, thank you and here's chapter four. Oh, one more thing. CONTEST: The title is a pun. The first person who figures out how it is a play on words gets a prize. I don't know what the prize is yet but you can recommend that as well.  
  
Chapter Four  
  
"Are you hungry, Harry?" the Professor asked after a while. Harry was a bit startled as it had been fairly quiet but realized he was indeed getting hungry. The professor closed her eyes and after concentrating managed to transfigure a plate of sandwiches and some pumpkin juice. This reminded him eerily of second year when Professor McGonagall had done the same for Ron and him when they arrived to school late and in a flying car. Then he thought of something.  
  
"Professor? How come you know my name?" She looked at him startled and then smiled.  
  
"No you wouldn't remember." She said softly to herself. Then to him, "Who else could you be? Though I admit I almost called you James."  
  
"You knew my father?"  
  
"Everyone knew who your father was. From their second year on, the four of them were known by everyone who had been in school for over a week. By forth year, some of the first years came to school knowing who they were." Harry was slightly disappointed. It would have been nice to find someone who knew his parents and was willing to tell about them.  
  
"So you didn't know my father. You just knew about him?" He tried to clarify.  
  
"Did I say that?"  
  
"Well, not exactly..."  
  
"Then don't assume. As it turns out, I did know the Marauders personally. Lily was my best friend in school."  
  
"You were Mum's best friend?" Harry asked in disbelief.  
  
"No I said she was mine. I don't think she considered me hers. Though by third year we had become rather close. Maybe she did. I guess I'll never know." She had a sad smile on her face. "That's why it's so strange to hear you call me 'Professor'. I remember when you were born, and I was trying to get you to say 'Auntie Clyna'. It's strange the way things turn out." She was smiling sadly again.  
  
"How come I never heard of you?" Harry asked then realized that could be considered rude. "I mean..."  
  
"Due to circumstance beyond my control (I'll explain on the first day of class) I disappeared about a year before Voldemort's fall. After that, I came to Dumbledore to explain, found out that your parents had died, and left, likely not altogether sane. No one but Dumbledore knew I had survived until I came back here to teach. But that's a long story and I'd rather not talk about it. However I'll tell you anything you want to know about the Marauders or your parents."  
  
Harry grinned. "Did you ever date any of the Marauders? If that isn't too personal."  
  
"No, that's fine. And surprisingly enough no I didn't date any of them. Which is rather surprising considering that between James and Sirius, they dated almost the entire school within three years of us. I asked Lily about it once. She told me that anyone who tried to 'play fast and loose with my heart' as she put it was going to pay for it. They considered themselves Big brothers almost. Protectors in a way." She was smiling dreamily remembering a happier time.  
  
"I remember in particular in fifth year. The most popular guy in school at the time, who was pretty good looking too, we'll call him Brad for now, asked me out. This was unusual because there wasn't a whole lot of reason for him to do so. I wasn't pretty, I wasn't an outcast but I wasn't popular, I wasn't even strikingly smart. Well I said yes. We went to a school dance and I learned he had asked me out on a dare." Her eyes hardened. "The dare was how quickly could he get me into the astronomy tower for a little more than snogging.. if you understand what I mean. I was furious and hurt." She gave a half laugh. "Heck, I think I decked him and stormed out in tears. Lily found my crying an hour later and swore that he would pay. Now you couldn't possibly know but Lily had a temper to match her hair. And she was almost overprotective. She also was already dating James at the time so the two of us were semi-honorary-marauders. And the trick with marauders was, you mess with one, you mess with them all! I never found out exactly what happened, but two days later when Brad got out of the Hospital wing, still with purple hair, bunny ears, and tail, he came down to the great hall, and in front of the entire school knelt down and begged my pardon for not being a gentleman and even attempting (for that's all it was) to compromise my virtue."  
  
The two laughed. She thought for a while. "Oh! Then in sixth year was the Yule Ball. I didn't want to go because I remembered last year. That and I'm not very good with parties. Plus something had happened and some people were spreading some vicious rumors about me and I was pretty much an outcast. They stuck with me though, Lily and the Marauders. They convinced me to go and made sure that if I sat out a single, dance that it was by my choice not because of lack of a partner. James of course danced nearly every dance with Lily, but he did dance once or twice with me. Sirius, Remus, and Peter took turns dancing with me so I didn't have to sit out a single dance. I practically had to threaten Sirius with grievous bodily harm if he wouldn't let me sit down a little. Remus and Peter understood I didn't have the stamina to dance all night long." A pause. "Actually since they were willing to stick with me, a few others finally asked me to dance. Considering they were the causes of the rumors in the first place, I turned them down. Even Brad tried to ask me to dance. It felt good to tell him no."  
  
She smiled once more thinking of happy memories again. Then grew more serious. "I know you don't know much about them, so feel free to come up sometimes, and I'll tell you more. Well we better get back to work."  
  
After some time of silence, Harry shelving books and Professor Syran working on papers, she spoke up. "I realize that Crouch couldn't have taken care of these papers, but it's still annoying to have to go through them all." Harry looked at her. So far she hadn't seemed one to talk for no reason, and she seemed to be getting at something but he couldn't tell what. Then he saw it.  
  
"Um Professor? Could I have this please?" Harry said indicating a piece of blank-looking parchment. 'Please don't say no! Please don't say no!'  
  
She looked at the parchment and at him. "This? I suppose it wouldn't be a problem." She said slowly.  
  
Hardly daring to breathe Harry put the Marauders' Map carefully in his pocket. "Oh, that reminds me of another story. The Marauders wanted to make a map of Hogwarts. As these were intelligent boys who didn't apply themselves, they drafted Lily and me to do a good sized share of the work. However they wouldn't put our names on it because the clamed we weren't marauders. We got back at them though. We made it so that we didn't show up on the map. I believe it got confiscated the year after we left. Ah, if that map could talk, what stories it would tell."  
  
Harry had no doubt about it. She knew it was the map and was letting him have it while at the same time warning him that it wasn't complete protection. "I suppose you should go now. It's getting late. Come by anytime. But you should know that the only reason you got in so easily was because I chose to let you in. Next time it will be a little different. Oh one more thing. Did you come up here on a dare?"  
  
Startled, Harry admitted he had. "Be careful, a dare nearly cost me my life once. Everyone acts as if you can't turn down a dare. Words have only as much power over you as you let them. Be careful of that."  
  
Still a little dazed. Harry left.  
  
A.N. Well, now you know more. Please review. Next time is the first day of classes. Please review. And we find out why she disappeared. Please review. And what kinds of strange books she assigned and why. Please review. That's about it. And before I forget PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!! 


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